


Before the Eleventh

by orphan_account



Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Dance, Bad Parenting, Business, Developing Relationship, Difficult Decisions, Lee Donghyuck | Haechan Is The Sun, Lee Donghyuck | Haechan is a Little Shit, M/M, Mentioned NCT 127 Ensemble, Other Ships Not Mentioned in Tags, Tags Are Hard, its a fun time ill tell you that, mark lee is indecisive, markhyuck, soft
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-01
Updated: 2020-01-11
Packaged: 2021-01-16 06:11:24
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 14
Words: 16,333
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21266351
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: As his eyes drifted back to the teacher, who was doing her best to introduce herself in a happy manner, Mark found his attention captured by what might have been the most endearing laugh he ever heard.He glanced at the source who sat a few rows above him, his eyes falling on a golden boy. Mark’s breath caught in his throat.Everything about him glittered..............................................In which Mark Lee only does what he's good at because he doesn't know what else to do, and a certain golden boy opens his eyes to a new world of possibilities.All he's got to do is get his attention.





	1. Collide

**Author's Note:**

> Hmmm

The first meeting wasn’t anything special. 

Mark stepped through the busy halls, dodging seniors and juniors alike, always keeping his eyes fixed on the ground. He was tired, and school was not helping.

He would be gone next year, off to a university in the heart of the city, studying a subject that he wasn’t even sure he wanted to pursue. To be perfectly honest, Mark wasn’t really sure about anything.

He ran a hand through his hair, adjusting the strap of his bag so that it hung slightly better off of his shoulder. Distracted by his thoughts of the future, he didn’t dodge the next student barrelling his way.

A boy his age collided with his raised arm, mumbled a few meaningless apologies, and continued down the corridor, walking with a confidence that Mark would have admired if he hadn’t been too busy wallowing in self pity.

Mark didn’t spare the boy a second glance, letting out a defeated sigh. 

And that was the end of the first.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hmm


	2. Identify

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The second meeting in which the golden boy talks back and Mark can't take his eyes off him

The second came a year later, in the aforementioned university in the heart of the city. 

Mark took a seat in the back of the lecture room, hoping to avoid confrontation as well as securing a safe spot for observation. He knew this would also allow him to get away with catching up on the hours of sleep he didn’t get the night before.

It was his first day at the well known school, and he was already sleep deprived and in need of a coffee. It was going to be a long year.

As his eyes drifted back to the teacher, who was doing her best to introduce herself in a upbeat manner, Mark found his attention captured by what might have been the most endearing laugh he ever heard. 

He glanced at the source who sat a few rows above him, his eyes falling on a golden boy. Mark’s breath caught in his throat.

Everything about him glittered.

His smile.

His skin.

His-

The teacher sucked in a breath, controlling her temper before reprimanding the student who had interrupted her introduction. 

“Donghyuck. Are you going to be a problem this year?”

The golden boy turned away from his friends and faced the front, his eyes glowing mischievously. “Of course not, ma’am.”

His voice.

The teacher hesitated a moment, eventually deciding to let the boy’s behaviour slide. “Well, as I was saying…”

Donghyuck smirked as the teacher turned her back to the class to explain the course’s structure on the board. Mark struggled to avert his gaze, knowing he never wanted to be at the receiving end of a dangerous smirk like that. 

Or maybe he wanted it desperately and was just telling himself otherwise. 

Donghyuck’s friends didn’t seem phased at all, the pink haired one snorting. “Good one, Haechan. Is this really how you’re gonna play it?”

The golden boy raised an eyebrow. “Hey, I didn’t promise Doyoung-ah I’d behave.”

“Yes, you did. In fact, that’s /exactly/ what you promised.”

The golden boy's eyes widened in mock innocence. “I did?!”

Mark swallowed, before facing the front, fiddling with his pen nervously. He forced his thoughts back to the lesson, and did his best not to eavesdrop on the boy’s conversation, but it was really hard when he had a voice like honey. Gold, gold, gold.

Stop thinking, Mark.

It was going to be a long year.

And that was the end of the second.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I can't promise consistent updates but I can promise Markhyuck  
The next chapter won't be super in your face interactions but it is all necessary for a good story~


	3. Encounter

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Mark meets new people and really needs to get a grip.

The third meeting occurred three weeks later.

Mark hadn’t really thought about the golden boy. Or at least, not consciously.

Fortunately for Mark’s grades, he only shared one class with Donghyuck, meaning he was still well on his way at achieving his degree. Though, he wasn’t entirely sure if that's what he wanted.

Mark had never been very decisive. He continued to do what he was good at, whether he liked it or not. His mother had always been good at numbers, and his father had a hand for business. So that’s what Mark did. It wasn’t that the topic bored Mark, or that he had been forced into it… he just, well, did it. Maybe if he had a dream to pursue, he would look deeper into his career options, but now, it felt as though he was just going through the motions.

The class Mark and the golden boy shared was his media class, in which he was supposed to learn about advertising and demographics, but so far all he had learned was that Donghyuck gets prettier every time you see him. Mark would sigh, but he’s beginning to sound like a broken record.

His finance teacher gestured to the board, asking a strand of meaningless questions.

Mark managed to zone back in just in time to receive a direct interaction, the last thing he needed right now. “...what risk is. Mr Lee, would you give it a shot?”

Mark blinked. He hated being put on the spot. “I- uh…”

The teacher’s questioning expression gradually morphed into a frown due to Mark’s hesitancy. He began to search the sea of less than eager students for a new victim when he was interrupted by Mark’s answer.

“Risk is unavoidable. You can’t invest in something without taking a risk. What is controllable is the level of identifiable risk you subject your business or investment to.”

The teacher studied Mark’s face before nodding slowly in approval. “Mr Lee is correct. You have the power to identify risk and choose how much you are willing to lose. But risks are often linked with rewards; if you play it safe, and move for an investment with lower risk, you are likely to receive a lower profit. It is the riskier investments that often lead to greater successes, but also the greatest downfalls. You must…”

Riskier investments. Greater successes. Greatest downfalls.

Mark frowned, resting his chin in his hands. This was all applicable to his current situation. Should he stick to what he is good at? Or should he-

The indecisive one’s thoughts were brought to an end by a light tap on his shoulder.

Despite the actions delicate nature, Mark jumped, shocked from his crisis.

“Ah, sorry.”

Mark turns in his seat, discovering an intimidatingly handsome boy, who quickly erased the intimidating part of his description when he smiled. His hair was silver, an unusual dye choice but Mark couldn’t help but feel he looked familiar.

The boy spoke softly, maybe in an attempt to calm Mark’s nerves, but probably just to avoid getting caught by the teacher. “I liked your answer. Mark, right? I’m Jeno, and this is Jaemin.”

Mark nodded, forcing a smile. “It’s nice to meet you.”

His gaze flickered from Jeno’s welcoming smile to the boy with pale pink hair, who just smirked at Mark before going back to work.

Jeno drew his attention again, his smile never faltering but his curiosity was clear on his face. “You take Media with Mrs Kim too, right? I feel like I’ve seen you before...”

Mark swiveled fully in his seat. “Uh, yeah. Where do you sit?”

Jeno cast a glance at Jaemin, a questioning expression on his face. The other just shrugged and Jeno turned back, apparently having telepathically received an answer to his unasked question. He spun a pen between his fingers as he spoke. “We sit pretty close to the back, actually. Our friend prefers being further away from the teacher.”

The pieces begin to fall together. That’s where he recognised them from.

_They were the golden boy’s friends. _

Jaemin snorted at Jeno’s reasoning. “You make it sound as though the only reason we sit at the back to appease Haechan.”

The pink-haired boy turned his attention to Mark, leaning forward and lowering his voice. “Trust me, Jeno is far more behaved than the rest of us.”

Mark was shocked at how close Jaemin's face was to his, wondering how confident he would have to be to hold his face this close to someone he just met.

The teacher finally cast a glance passed the other hard-working students to spot Mark, Jeno and Jaemin. He frowned, raising his voice so that the trio could hear him from the front. “Mr Na, this is a discussion about risk, I hope? You could learn a lot from Mr Lee.”

Mark could visibly see the pink haired boy hold back an eye roll. Jaemin then corrects his tone, pulling away from Mark and speaking in a sickly sweet manner. “Of course, sir.”

Jeno covered his wide smile with a hand, watching Jaemin amusedly. The teacher cleared his throat, before checking his wrist watch and remembering the time. “Right. That concludes today’s lecture. Be sure to study page 562 and have the annotation written by Monday’s lesson. Dismissed.”

Mark stood to collect his books, assuming that the two would stop talking to him now that they can just leave the classroom. No one has voluntarily talked to Mark in the last three weeks.

Jeno slung his bag over his shoulder, surprising Mark yet again with an invitation. “Wanna walk with us to Mrs Kim’s class?”

Mark sent a cautious glance to Jaemin, who shrugged.

_Hmm. Why not._ “Sure.”

Jeno beamed.

. . . .

They arrived at Lecture Room 27 B a little later than Mark normally would, but they weren’t late.

On the walk there, Mark hadn’t needed to speak a word, as Jaemin spent the entire time filling Jeno in on the latest drama about some person named Taeil. It was nice, if Mark was honest. The pair radiated happiness, something that Mark always appreciated.

It wasn’t really until they entered the classroom that Mark remembered who they sat with.

“Nana! Eye smile! What took you so long? Renjun is so boring~”

Mark’s heart fluttered in its usual panicked way when his eyes found the source of the voice.

_Donghyuck._

The boy was not sitting, instead he had draped his lithe form across his own seat as well as his friends. He wore a simple white print top, tucked into a pair of black jeans, yet somehow he managed to look like a supermodel. Usually, Mark questioned the use in having windows so far out of reach in the older lecture rooms, but as they cast beams of sunlight onto Donghyuck’s golden skin, Mark had never been more grateful.

Realising that they were nearing the pair, Mark tried his best to stop staring.

‘Renjun’, or the boy Donhyuck was currently lying on top of, rolled his eyes, and with a shove sent Donghyuck tumbling to the ground. Mark winced.

Renjun spoke in a nonchalant, self-confident way. “Donghyuck lost three times in a row. He was trying to kill me.”

Jeno sighed as they approached the row that his friends were sitting in. “Haechan, we spoke about this.”

Donghyuck sat up, clutching his shoulder with an exaggerated face of pain. “He was cheating! Renjun is so- wait, who is this?”

Mark wanted to sink through the floor as Donghyuck’s pretty eyes found his face.

_Pull yourself together, Mark._

Jaemin slid passed the other two, leading Jeno by the hand to their regular seats. “This is Mark. He’s pretty cool but very alone so we figured he could hang out with us.”

Mark was too flustered to be offended. He _was_ right.

Renjun raised a dark eyebrow, studying Mark skeptically. “Aren’t you the one who graduated XXXXXX High as the number 2 student?”

Mark blinked, struggling through his sentence and far too aware that Donghyuck was now watching him intently. He had dusted himself off and taken a seat next to Renjun, leaving Mark no choice but to shuffle past him and sit next to Jeno. But that would mean that Mark would have to be within touching distance of the golden boy and not collapse.

Mark forced his gaze to remain on Renjun, who couldn’t have possibly looked more like an artist if he tried, with his white button down over a black turtleneck. “Yeah, that’s me. Who’d you hear that from?”

Mark prepared himself to shift down the isle when Renjun spoke again.

“Oh, Haechan went to that school for like half a year.”

Mark froze. “Wait, r-really?”

Renjun laughed, jabbing an elbow into Donghyuck’s side. “Yeah, and he didn’t even make the top ten.”

Donghyuck didn’t reply to the Renjun’s teasing, _still_ watching Mark with an unreadable expression. The golden boy spoke again, and Mark braced himself for impact.

“Are you going to sit down?”

Mark’s knuckles tightened around the strap of his bag. “Uh, yeah, of course.”

Mark sucked in a small breath before squeezing passed the golden boy and the other three to sit on the end. Luckily for him, none of them noticed his crisis.

Throughout the rest of the lesson, the only people Mark spoke to where Jaemin and Jeno, but the only person he was actually listening to was the golden boy on the end. He and Renjun spent nearly the entire lecture arguing and laughing, and Mark realised then that he was definitely not going to pass Media this year.

And that was the end of the third.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you guys enjoyed the chapter; I never intended it to be so long considering that wasn't really the style I was going for, but I always end up turning things into legitimate novels instead of short stories. Also, should I do Nomin or Noremin or something? I'm tempted, but I'd like the fic to be purely based around Mark and Haechan.


	4. Invite

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Mark is invited and a nickname is offered.

The fourth began and ended on the Friday of that week.

After collecting in the papers and work due, Mrs Kim of Mark’s Media class left the room for a good 20 minutes, leaving to absolute mayhem in her wake.

Renjun simply got up and left, tugging Jeno with him so they could get to art early and take a look at the latest assignment, leaving Mark with Jaemin and the golden boy.

Donghyuck’s first movement after the teacher left was to pull his phone out of his back pocket and plug in his air pods, picking up where he had left off when Mark entered the classroom. Mark had accidentally eavesdropped on Donghyuck enough in the last few weeks to know that if the golden boy was quiet for any amount of time, it meant that there was a storm coming.

Jaemin jotted down a few notes on his writing pad, before his phone buzzed. Mark flipped the page and began skim reading the rest of the chapter.

“Huh. You free this weekend, Mark?”

Mark faltered. “Uh, yeah? I think so.”

Jaemin offered his phone so that Mark could read the message.

< _ johnsbanana> _

**u up for a party this weekend nana? saturnday?**

< _ johnsbanana> _

**as long as u bring ur cute friends, ur welcome at the grand house of ten**

So birds of a feather do fly together. Mark read the message again before handing it back to Jaemin in what he hoped was close to Renjun’s nonchalant manner. “Yeah, I’ll go. What time?”

Jaemin texted through the question and only waited a few seconds before replying. “Looks like its gonna start at nine o’clock.”

“What is?”

Mark’s heart stopped beating for a few moments at the sound of Donghyuck’s honey like voice. He had gotten so comfortable around Jaemin he had almost forgotten about the golden boy’s effects.

Jaemin leaned backwards, tucking an arm behind his head as he re-opened the message for Donghyuck to read. Donghyuck smiled and Mark felt himself die a little inside.

“I presume I’m invited as well then? Considering I am the cutest of your friends.”

_ Not gonna argue with that _ .

Jaemin rolled his eyes. “Sure, sure. But Jeno and Renjun? Close seconds, Haechan.”

Donghyuck’s golden smile widened a tad, before he pulls the air pods out of his ears and directs all of his attention towards Mark. 

Mark definitely died a little that time. He noted the way that Donghyuck’s eyes widen slightly at the end of his question, his dark lashes more prominent than ever.

“So you’re coming, pretty boy? Ten will  _ definitely _ like you.”

Mark’s brain switched into overdrive. He was sure that his face was turning pink. Pretty boy?  _ Pretty boy? _ Answer his question, dammit.

“U-uh, yeah. I haven’t gone to any parties in a while.”

Good one, Mark. Now you sound  _ really  _ cool.

To Mark surprise, Donghyuck nodded in understanding. He sat back, his gaze falling on the front of the lecture room that was still abandoned if you excluded the few girls sitting on the teacher’s desk. “Yeah, same. I don’t really like loud places that much.”

Mark couldn’t stop himself. “Why would you go then?”

Donghyuck raised an eyebrow, before his delicate brows pull together. He hummed, placing a finger to his lips as he considered Mark’s question. “Well, I guess I don’t want to regret not going. Something always happens, and if I didn’t go, then I would never be able to witness it. You never know what will happen.”

Jaemin rejoins the conversation. “Unless, of course, I film it. Which has happened before.”

Donghyuck rolled his eyes before whining. “Jaemin, you just ruined my answer. You suck.”

Jaemin sticks his tongue out, which should look childish, but when Jaemin did it he somehow amplified his looks. Donghyuck placed his phone on the desk with care before launching himself at Jaemin.

Mark couldn’t take his mind off Donghyuck’s words. How could one person be so perfect?

Everything Donghyuck had said was right; he just needed to do it, or he might regret it later.

Do what? Mark sure as heck didn’t know.

After Donghyuck and Jaemin finished their squabble, they realised that they were actually allowed to leave now. The lecture was over, yet the teacher had never returned meaning Mark had a different excuse as to why he hadn’t gotten any work done.

Jaemin waved goodbye to both Donghyuck and Mark before making his way to the art rooms, presumably to crash Jeno and Renjun’s class.

Donghyuck plugged his airpods back in and slid his books into his pastel yellow bag. He took his time leaving, placing his last book in at the same time Mark slung his bag over his shoulder. 

Mark tried to think of something cool to say, but all his tongue failed him once again, going heavy as Donghyuck tucked a strand of his soft brown hair behind his ear, exposing two silver piercings.

He barely managed a polite farewell. “S-see you tomorrow, Donghyuck.”

Donghyuck nodded in acknowledgement, a wide smile on his face. 

Mark had slipped passed Donghyuck and was halfway down the aisle when he was stopped in his tracks by the golden voice. “Hey, Mark?”

Mark turned back immediately, startled by the way his name sounded coming out of Donghyuck’s mouth. “Yeah?”

Dongyhyuck stepped down the stairs. “Call me Haechan.”

And that was the end of the fourth.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hmmmMMMmm


	5. Conversate

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Jaemin ups his pun game, Renjun loses his temper and somehow Mark gets a ride to the party.

The fifth took place over a series of messages that somehow led to a coordinated plan.

  
  


**<** _ havanaoonana> renamed the chat  _ ** WELCOME TO THE PARTY MARK**

**havanaoonana and asmrfailswithjeno are online**

_ <havanaoonana> _

Yo whats up its ur boy Nana

_ <marklee> _

Hey

_ <asmrfailswithjeno> _

do you need a ride to the party this evening? this is jeno by the way.

_ <marklee> _

nah i should be good. was just gonna catch the bus there and back

**thetalentedone is online**

_ <thetalentedone> _

i think Jeno should pick u up. Are you familiar with neighbourhood? - renjun

_ <marklee> _

…

_ <havanaoonana> _

I’ll be taking that as a no.

Wait.

_ <asmrfailswithjeno> _

Don’t do it na na

_ <havanaoonana> _

I’ll be taking it as a-

_ <thetalentedone> _

i swear to god jaemin if you respect any of us you will stop right there

_ <havanaoonana> _

i’ll take it as a nanA

_ <thetalentedone> _

oh ffs

**fullsun is online**

_ <fullsun> _

Niceeeee

_ <havanaoonana> _

thAnk you haechan

someone respects good puns

_ <thetalentedone> _

i am THIS far away from blocking both of you 

_ <fullsun> _

Renjun I know it's hard to remember but this is a texting app, we can't see your hand sweetie

**<thetalentedone> kicked <fullsun> from chat**

_ <asmrfailswithjeno> _

anyways I agree with renjun I think I should pick you up

As long as you're okay with that

_ <marklee> _

Are you sure it wouldn't be an issue?

_ <havanaoonana> _

Dude have you seen the size of Jeno's car?

Its-

_ <thetalentedone> _

Don't mess with me jaemin I will not hesitate

_ <havanaoonana> _

jenOrmous

**<thetalentedone> kicked <havanaoonana> from chat**

_ <asmrfailswithjeno> _

You'll get use to it

Renjun add them please

_ <thetalentedone> _

jeno the p u n s

_ <asmrfailswithjeno> _

. . .

_ <thetalentedone> _

Fine

**<thetalentedone> added <havanaoonana> and <fullsun> to the chat**

_ <fullsun> _

knew you couldn’t stay away

_ <asmrfailswithjeno> _

Renjun do not block him.

**<thetalentedone> left chat**

_ <marklee> _

Wow

_ <havanaoonana> _

the party hasn’t started yet, young padawan

We will show you the ways 

_ <fullsun> _

Buckle up pretty boy its gonna be a bumpy ride

_ <asmrfailswithjeno> _

Where do you want me to pick you up from?

_ <marklee> _

I can meet you at the gates at 8:30

_ <asmrfailswithjeno> _

Sounds good (-:

_ <fullsun> _

*gasps* JENO

How DARE you give it a nose

I’m pretty sure mark wants to keep his 20/20 vision

_ <marklee> _

...i dont have 20/20 vision :,(

_ <fullsun> _

wait. does that mean you wear glasses sometimes?

PLEASE tell me you wear glasses

_ <marklee> _

I do at the dorms

_ <havanaoonana> _

Mark you should probably stop talking while you can haechan thinks glasses are the cutest things ever he will not hesitate to break into the school.

One might say he will reap HAEvic

_ <asmrfailswithjeno> _

. . .

See you soon mark

_ <marklee> _

_ See yah _

_ <fullsun> _

JENO I AM CATCHING A RIDE WITH YOU MARK WEAR GLASSES PLEASE

_ <havanaoonana> _

It is a p a r t y haechan

not a study date

**<thetalentedone> joined chat**

_ <thetalentedone> _

Is there any more pu-

i literally hate you jaemin

_ <havanaoonana> _

Don’t you mean you literally HAEte me?

**<thetalentedone> kicked <havanaoonana> from chat**

And that was the end of the fifth.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I forgot how fun group chat scenes are to write but I probably won't be doing another one for a while, unless you guys prefer this format?? idk \\_(ツ)_/


	6. Intertwine

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Donghyuck is a fallen angel with devilish tendencies and Mark needs to thank Renjun later.

The sixth began when Mark stepped out of Jeno’s car onto the footpath outside the glittery building. 

“Are you sure you’re not cold, Mark?”

Jeno stepped around the front of the car, looking prepared to offer his denim jacket. Mark smiled. 

“Yeah, I’m fine.”

Mark hadn’t dressed up too much. He did have a small breakdown when realising that he was about to see Haechan in party clothes and no doubt experience his beautiful laughter, but other than that, it didn’t take Mark long to get ready.

He went with a simple off brand outfit, but one he felt made him look more okay than usual. He wasn’t trying to impress anyone or anything. Something that he had actually done differently was opting for a darker palette of black and grey, a far cry from his normal white and blue.

Jeno had picked up Renjun on the way, who had switched his flattering artists outfit and gone for a more laid back but definitely attractive dark blue, long sleeved silk top tucked into a pair of ripped black jeans, with a few silver chains to finish the look.

Mark wished he could look so effortlessly hot. It had taken him a long just to fix his black hair into something that was more than a ‘just-rolled-out-of-bed’ look.

Jeno led the way up to the house, stepping up the stone stairs without even casting a glance towards the expensive fountain in the yard. Apparently this was what they usually expected from a party.

They reached the glass doors at the same time as they swung open, revealing a shorter guy who had his lipstick smudged across his lips and spoke with a rougher undertone evident in his sweet voice. He was the definition of intimidating. 

“Jeno! Hey Renjun. Jaemin and Donghyuck are just inside. Looking good, boys.”

Mark could already tell he was very touchy, watching cautiously as the boy ran a hand down Jeno’s arm. 

Jeno seemed completely comfortable, his wide smile now directed towards the host. He nudged the boy’s hand away, and gestured to Mark. “Ten, this is Mark. He’s been hanging out with us at Uni.”

Ten’s eyes travel from Jeno to Mark, his smirk growing. “Hey, Mark. Welcome to the party~”

Mark smiled nervously back. “Thanks.”

Ten scanned Mark from head to toe, his seductive allure never faltering. “He’s cute, isn’t he?”

Mark flushed pink, leaving Renjun to save him with an eye roll. “I think Jaemin is spending too much time with you, Ten. It would explain all the flirting.”

“Spending too much time with me is never a problem, Renjun-ah.”

After a few more words exchanged, Jeno remained to talk to Ten, and Renjun led Mark into the party. The main room was very dark, the only source of light being the gentle yellow mood lighting that lined the expensive looking room.

Mark immediately felt disorientated, but Renjun seemed to sense it, his grip on Mark’s wrist tightening slightly as they shifted through the crowds of people. Mark really needed to thank him later.

The second room as better, but louder, music playing and loud chatter ensuing all around him. There was neon lights that illuminated a lot of the room, and it meant it was very easy to spot the most beautiful person he had ever met. 

Donghyuck was as ethereal as ever, dressed up in a flowy pink top and dark pants that hugged his form. He was pressed up against a wall in the corner, his face tilted upwards and the blue and violet neon lights around him reflecting onto his golden skin.

Renjun took a few seconds to realise why Mark had stopped in his tracks. His nose wrinkled. “You don’t fancy Haechan, do you? Trust me, he is pure trouble.”

Mark turned to Renjun, the dazed expression still apparent on his face. “Uh, yeah of course not.”

Renjun rolled his eyes, his mouth pulling into smile. “You are far too cute for Haechan.”

Mark gasped dramatically, feeling bolder than usual as they began to sway in time with the music. “I am not cute. Look at me!”

Mark had  _ tried _ to look darker, more bad boy then his usual nice guy look. To an outsider, he may have pulled it off. But Renjun had heard Mark’s stuttering whenever he spoke in Donghyuck’s general direction enough over the past few days to know otherwise.

“Yeah, yeah. You wish. The choker is a nice touch though.”

Renjun raised a hand to touch the black ribbon when he was ambushed from the side by a ruffled looking Jaemin.

Renjun stumbled as Jaemin ducked behind him, hiding his face in the crook of Renjun’s neck. Both Mark and Renjun were quick to assess the threat, only to see a tipsy girl struggle through the groups of people towards them, a pout on her lips. 

“Jaemin-oppa?”

It was then that Jaemin spoke, clearly desperate to get away from the girl. He hissed directly into Renjun’s ear, earning a shove. “Help- oof.”

Mark couldn’t help but be amused. Only an hour ago, Jaemin was mocking Renjun with terrible, terrible puns and now he was begging Renjun for help. It was going to take a while for Mark to figure these people out.

Renjun sighed before casting a glance to Mark. “Will you be good on your own for a bit?”

Mark nodded hesitantly, before Haechan’s face reappeared in his mind. “Yeah, I might talk to Donghyuck.”

Renjun winked. “Good luck.”

Mark pulled a face before turning away from Jaemin’s crisis, taking only a few seconds for his internal Haechan GPS to point him in the right direction.

Donghyuck hadn't moved, the only difference in his form being his lightly glossed lips mouthing the lyrics of the bassy song that was playing.

Mark froze again, his heart palpitating for second and everything moving in slow motion. He can't possibly be real.

Mark unfroze as the song came to an end and slipped between the sweaty bodies to get to the piece of the sun, feeling a rush of confidence. Maybe this was what he needed to do.

Donghyuck’s eyes opened slowly as Mark approached, and he tilted his head down, rolling his shoulders. It took a moment for his eyes to fall on Mark, and when they did, he appeared far from disappointed.

Donghyuck’s dangerous smirk surfaced as Mark offered a hand. 

Mark swallowed trying desperately to get ahold of the adrenaline like confidence that was slipping away now that he was so close to the angel. “Want to dance?”

Donghyuck ran a tongue along his lips, and Mark tried not to follow it with his eyes, his heart beating far faster than was safe. “Absolutely.”

Although Mark had been the one to offer his hand, it was Haechan who wrapped his fingers around Mark’s wrist and drag him into the next room, which was less crowded and appeared to have been set up as some sort of dance floor.

Donghyuck wastes no time taking Mark’s breath away, dancing slowly and swaying his hips to match the music. 

He was so close to Mark that it was almost impossible not to touch. So close.

Donghyuck’s laugh snapped him out of his trance. “Mark? Are you gonna dance or what?”

Mark knew that the flush on his cheeks wasn’t visible in the neon lighting of the room, so he took this to his advantage, urging himself to be brave.

Now that Mark thought about it, Donghyuck was built like a dancer. Slender but strong, flexible and always sure of his movements.

So close.

One of Donghyuck’s hands fell onto Mark’s shoulder, causing them to grow even closer. Donghyuck was completely unphased, the dangerous smile still on his face as Mark’s eyes focus on his. 

“You’re not as bad as I thought you would be.”

Mark spoke carefully so he wouldn’t stutter with nerves. He still stuttered, of course. It’s just the Donghyuck effect. “I-I’m not sure whether I should take that as a compliment.”

Donghyuck smirked, the hand he had placed on Mark’s shoulder working its way onto the side of Mark’s neck.  _ Pull yourself together, Mark. _

The golden boy’s earrings were almost as shiny as him, casting sparks of neon reflection on Donghyuck’s jawline. “It is. I don’t often meet someone who can keep up.”

_ Wow, they were so close. _

Mark begged his body to keep functioning, before he did the most terrifying thing he had ever done in his life. He placed a hand on the golden boy’s waist, and the two dancers became one, two halves of a whole. Donghyuck’s smile slipped for a second as his eyes lowered from Mark’s and fell onto his lips. 

Mark’s eyes widen, his heart beating in his throat.  _ This must be a dream. _

“H-haechan?”

The sixth had not ended yet.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oof things are finally getting juicy  



	7. Reveal

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which the dance is interrupted, and Donghyuck needs some air.

Mark wanted to collapse when Donghyuck’s eyes were dragged away from him by someone else’s voice. He suddenly felt hyper aware of everything in the room, energised by being so close to the sun.

He followed Donghyuck’s gaze, though refused to remove his hand from the golden boy’s waist. He had made the move, and he was not surrendering now.

Donghyuck’s pretty brown eyes widen as they fall upon the person who spoke. Mark was close enough to spot the quiver in Donghyuck’s lower lip as he replied. 

“Taeil? You… why are you here?”

Mark’s face morphed into a frown as the shorter man Donghyuck had addressed as Taeil continued to stare at Donghyuck in shock, something resembling lost love in his eyes. What was going on?

Taeil swallowed, before tearing his eyes away from Haechan’s face and letting his gaze fall to Mark’s hand on Donghyuck’s waist. “T-ten invited me. Who is this?”

The hand Donghyuck had pressed against Mark’s neck as they danced only moments ago tensed, and Mark didn’t know what to do. Donghyuck’s eyes were damp, as though he was going to cry at any moment. His normal confidence diminished as he visibly shrank, moving closer to Mark.

Mark couldn’t stand to see him like that. He straightened up, making sure he had the strangers attention “I’m Mark. Can we talk somewhere else please?”

Taeil didn’t respond, shaking his head lightly. He backed away, a frown forming on his face. “No, I think I’ll just go.”

Donghyuck didn’t make a single noise as Taeil merged back into the crowd, his delicate fingers slipping away from Mark’s neck and falling to his sides. His beautiful eyes shifted from the floor, moving up to meet Mark’s.

His words came out strained. “I’m sorry. I-”

“Why are you sorry?”

Donghyuck blinked in surprise. “Well, I ruined the dance and the moment with my stupid boy problems. If I hadn’t...”

Mark mimicked the boys movements from earlier, wrapping his fingers around Donghyuck’s slender wrist and leading him from the room. They needed space to breathe.

Donghyuck followed Mark willingly, relieved they were finally away from the tense air of the room Taeil had created. 

When they reached the glass balcony Mark had noticed on the way in, Mark spun back around, worry easy to read on his face. “Haechan? I… I want you to know that was not your fault.”

Donghyuck savoured the fresh air and the way Mark’s figure was highlighted by the moonlight. He muttered his answer, wanting nothing more than for the concern on Mark’s face to disappear. “I know. I just wasn’t expecting to see him, and got scared. I’m sorry for that. It’s been a long time.”

Mark let out a sigh of relief that Donghyuck wasn’t on the verge of tears anymore. He would have totally lost all sense of rationality if the boy had cried. But something was still very wrong. 

“Donghy- Haechan, who was that?”

Donghyuck swallowed, playing with the sleeves of his loose pink top. Mark didn’t want to pry, but he also hated the fact that anyone could dull the golden boys shine like that, with only a few words.

Donghyuck couldn’t meet Mark’s eyes. “It's not a big deal or anything. I kinda overreacted-”

“Haechan. Look at me.”

Donghyuck glanced up at Mark, the moonlight causing his lip gloss to shine even more than it had in the neon lighting. He looked so beautifully fragile, a gentleness radiating from him that Mark had never noticed before.

“I am not going to judge you. I don’t think it’s even an option for me at this point.”

Donghyuck smiled a little, his confidence slowly returning. “You didn’t stutter that time.”

Mark tilted his head, Donghyuck’s smile quickly becoming contagious. He tried to focus, leaning up against the metal railing of the balcony. “Donghyuck. The question.”

Donghyuck sighed, pressing his back up against the railing Mark was leaning on and tipping his head back. “He’s my ex. He’s harmless, don’t worry. I just… wasn’t expecting to see him here.”

Mark nodded. That sounds about right. The way Taeil looked at Haechan felt oddly familiar, as it was probably how he would look in the near future when Donghyuck found someone that was bold enough to actually ask him out.

The skyline in the distance was littered with the tall dark buildings of the city, glowing with pinpricks of red and yellow lights. The dark sky was filled with lights of its own, the stars just visible behind the clouds drifting through the sky. Mark was amazed you could see any considering the light pollution of the city.

Donghyuck looked different at night. That could be seen by anyone with eyes. During the day, he was an embodiment of the sun, bright, happy, loud and bold. He shone so bright, it was hard not to be intimidated.

At night, he was a fallen star. Glowing with unspoken emotion, fragile but strong, graceful, gentle and far quieter. The soft moonlight glanced off of the highlighter on his cheeks and emphasised his jawline as he stared up at the sky.

Mark couldn’t breathe. Again.

Donghyuck laughed gently, the sound far softer and melodic than any human should be able to sound. “He probably thinks you’re my boyfriend.”

Mark squeaked out an answer, glad that Donghyuck wasn’t watching or he would have seen the flush on Mark’s cheeks. “Yeah, probably.”

“Would that bother you?”

Donghyuck  _ did  _ tilt his head down this time, that dangerous smirk of his on his lips. He pushed himself off the railing and stepped towards Mark, all fragility gone now.

Mark would like to say that the reason that he didn’t move was because he was holding his ground, but in all honesty, he was paralyzed by the darkness in Donghyuck’s eyes.

His throat was dry, and all of a sudden, he was burning up. He managed a few words. “Not at all.”

And the seventh began.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> OkaYYY  
another cliffhanger im sorry hopefully it will be worth the wait


	8. Collide II

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Mark has a face to face encounter with sun and what not hesitate at the opportunity to do it again.

Donghyuck closed the unfortunate gap between their bodies in one step, his slender form flush against Mark’s. 

Time slowed and Mark was so close to Donghyuck he could have counted every single fine eyelash lining his brown eyes. 

Donghyuck breathed a few minty words against Mark’s lips, causing Mark’s sense of reality to slip again.

“I don’t think I would mind either.”

And then the collision.

The sun was kissing Mark and everything was on  _ fire _ .

And he kissed it back.

Donghyuck moved his soft lips against Mark’s in a way that made him melt inside. 

This was everything he had expected but so much more.  _ More, he wanted more. _

The lip gloss Donghyuck had used tasted tropical, a flavour that Mark couldn’t put a finger on but was one hundred percent sure it was now all over his lips as well. 

Donghyuck’s hand found its way to Mark’s waist, its touch as warm and light as morning sunrays, the kind that spill in through a window onto a bed of white sheets.

Mark had expected his brain to short circuit, but in fact, the opposite occurred. He was aware of every movement, every touch, every sound. The railing was cold against his back, but it didn’t bother him. All that he wanted to focus on was Haechan’s lips.

All too soon, Donghyuck pulled his face back, a gorgeous smile threatening to burn Mark up. 

Mark was dizzy, high on Donghyuck’s kiss. He smiled back, his face still inches away from the golden boy’s, allowing time for the world to cool down.

Mark exhaled shakily, unable to take his eyes away from the golden boys lips. He nibbled the edge of his own, aware that Donghyuck was watching him do so. “Well. W-well. What does this mean?"

Donghyuck dragged his eyes away from Mark's lips to meet his eyes, and raised a hand to Mark’s choker, tugging him closer so that their foreheads touch. “It means I like you, Mr Lee. What are you gonna do about it?”

Mark didn’t know.  _ Yet. _

Yet was a word Mark never truly considered. But now he knew how important it was. He hadn’t known what his dream was  _ yet. _

And now it was revealing itself.

The seventh came to a close when the pair returned to the party, acting as though nothing special had happened. But the taste of tropical summer spread across Maek's lips was a perfect reminder that it had truly happened.

Their friends didn’t suspect a thing, meaning Donghyuck and Mark would remain a secret for now.

_ Donghyuck and Mark. _

Mark liked the sound of that.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> . . .  
If you really want to, you can probs stop reading here as this is a functional end, but if you want more, there is definitely still more to come.


	9. Learn

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Mark makes a decision that puts him a step closer to finding his dream and Donghyuck shows up late.

The eighth began that Monday during media, with Mark’s realisation that Donghyuck was becoming more and more distracting as the days went by.

Haechan’s beautiful face was alight with an unfaltering smile, and Mark wanted to be as close to him as possible, especially when the golden boy cast sly glances his way. Unfortunately, Mark was separated from the sun by Jaemin and Jeno, who were discussing something, or in this case,  _ someone _ that definitely had nothing to do with Media.

“Well, I don’t know but the studio is going to really suffer without Jisung. We can’t possibly stay if all of the money we need for shows and transport is being blown on lighting the cafe.”

Jeno nodded slowly, his smile nowhere in sight. He put his elbow on the desk and used his arm to support his weary head. “He won’t really leave, will he?”

Jaemin shrugged. “I don’t think so. But he will if we do.”

Mark watched quietly as Jeno groaned in reply. “You would think that the new owner would have at least know where to begin with his money. Why the heck did he even buy the shares?”

Jaemin grumbled in reply, leaning back in his chair and crossing his arms, which were exposed by his pink singlet top. It coordinated well with his hair. “My main problem with the idiot doesn’t care in the slightest about dance or the many, many people involved. The way he mismanages all of our funds is so disrespectful to the people who put time into supporting us.”

Mark frowned, deciding that if something was upsetting his new friends this much, it needed to be dealt with. He looked to Jeno, who was generally more approachable than Jaemin. “Can I ask what’s up? Can I help?”

Jeno offered a small smile, though despite its size still squished his eyes into crescents. “It’s all good, Mark. There’s just a new, well kind of new, finance manager who bought out part of the dance that's been driving the studio downhill ever since he arrived.”

Jaemin leaned back forward, running a hand through his light pink hair, his widening as he speaks with an agitated tone. “He spends all of our donation money on set design and then can’t pay the teachers or the professional dancers! We’re right on our way to being bankrupt, and me, Jeno and Haechan don’t wanna leave. We’ve worked with this studio since we were little and t-to think- arghh.”

Jeno rubbed Jaemin’s back as the normally light hearted boy leaned forward, setting his head in his hand. Mark’s frown only grew deeper.

Donghyuck was a dancer. That made sense considering how graceful he was. 

Mark fiddled with the pull string of his white hoodie, speaking again but lowering his voice, as they were beginning to draw attention from their classmates. “Which studio is this? The one on XXXX XXXX street?”

The building Mark was referring to looked relatively new on the outside, but the inside of it had been Mark’s childhood. He danced there for four years, but gave up on dance after his father had put him forward to the intermediate on the other side of the city. 

Mark didn’t think he would have continued dance anyway; he simply didn’t believe being in the spotlight was something he wanted for his future. He was always intrigued by the heroes behind the scene, the managers and the organisers of the events. 

But this manager did not sound like a hero at all. Mark felt the urge, the  _ need  _ to make a difference. He had to help.

Jeno nodded his head tilted as he spoke without moving his hand from Jaemin’s back. “Yeah, you know it?”

Mark swallowed before nodding. “Yeah, I danced there when I was five. I left when I turned nine. Does Sicheng still dance there?”

Jaemin raised his head at the mention of his hyung. “You mean Winwin? Yeah, he’s super cool. He’s one of our professional soloists now.”

Mark smiled, before remembering the fate that seemed to be set out for the company. His expression hardened. “Can I come and check out the companies job requirements? Or get an interview with a director or something?”

Jeno narrowed his eyes, as though he was trying to work Mark out. A slow, knowing smile spread on Jeno’s handsome face. 

Jaemin finally sat up, resting his weight on Jeno’s shoulder. He seemed tired, but the sound of Mark’s plan perked him up. He smirked. “So what, you gonna take over our studio Mark? You’ve got the brain for it.”

Mark would normally have been flustered by a comment like that, but his thoughts were racing elsewhere. “Yeah… dancing. Never thought that… hmm.”

It was at that point that Donghyuck rejoined the conversation, casting light on anyone that dared look in his direction. Donghyuck leaned over Renjun, wanting to be closer to the action. Renjun just sighed.

“You’re a dancer, Mark? Of course you are, you were really good at the party.”

Mark flushed at the mention of the…  _ event _ , and based on the look on Haechan’s face, he knew exactly what he was doing.

Renjun appeared to be five seconds from shoving Donghyuck onto the floor again when Jaemin wrapped an arm around his neck, now far more happy than he was moments ago. “Hear that Injun-ah? Mark’s gonna save the studio.”

Renjun winced. “I don’t want to be a killjoy, but how is a twenty year old college student going to stop an entire dance studio from going bank-rupt? Hold a competition? Get the old manager fired and take over? Assume that they’ll just hire him because he’s smart?”

Donghyuck kicked his feet up onto the desk in front of him, sufficiently filled in on the entire conversation he’d missed. He spoke exuding the confidence that had caused Mark to fall head over heels for him in the first place. “I think you're underestimating my Mark, Renjun-ah. He could do all that and more.”

_ MY MARK!? _

“My Mark?” Jaemin made a show of wiggling his eyebrows, removing his arm from Renjun so he could emphasise the effect. 

Mark would have turned tomato red if he had been in Donghyuck’s position, but the golden boy just smiled, the highlighter on his cheekbones not even close to comparing with the boys natural glow.

Renjun rolled his eyes at Donghyuck. “You wish.”

. . .

Jeno received a text from Haechan after they arrived at the studio explaining why he was going to be late. 

Mark sat with the boys in the practice room as they warmed up, waiting for their teacher to arrive so he could do some direct investigating.

Jeno appeared even more good looking in his casual dance clothes, his grey joggers almost identical to the one’s Jaemin was wearing. Renjun had joined them, though he was not a dancer, interested as to how Mark was going to handle the situation. 

Jaemin stretched his thighs, with the dramatic flair Mark was beginning to realise was a given. “Renjun, honey, just do what I do.”

Renjun rested his head in his hands, not taking his eyes off Jaemin but groaning all the same. “Absolutely not. I did not come here to dance with you.”

Jeno laughed, the sound breathy and light. “Jaemin, leave him alone. You can dance with me.”

Jaemin beamed, mocking surprise as though he wasn’t aware that the ever kind Jeno was going to offer help. “Really?!”

Renjun rolled his eyes, shifting closer to Mark where he was sitting with his back up against the mirrors that lined the room so they could continue talking without Jaemin’s interruption. 

“So, what, you’re going to organise a meeting?”

Mark nodded. “Yeah, I reckon I’ll find out what it takes to get a job here by applying. It seems ridiculous that someone so unqualified managed to get such a powerful position. Like really, things like budgeting are the  _ basics,  _ how has he not been fired, like-”

Renjun interrupted Mark’s rambling with a smirk. “Its cool that you’re getting more confident now you’re in your environment. It suits you.”

Mark didn’t blush that time, just meeting Renjun’s gaze by tilting his head towards him. Mark  _ was _ feeling more bold; being back in the studio made him feel comfortable, and thinking about the things he could do to use his abilities for good was exhilarating. 

Maybe this was what fate had planned out for him, and was just waiting for him to take the leap of faith. This could be his future. 

Mark smiled to himself. 

Donghyuck sauntered into the studio with a duffle bag slung over his shoulder, glowing more than usual, as though he had just been for a run. He picked up his cap to run a hand through his hair as he spoke.

“What’s up losers, Haechan is here to dominate as usual- oh hey, Mark!”

Donghyuck grinned at Mark, and all of a sudden Mark was certain. This could be his future.

Mark barely managed a reply, unable to take his eyes off of the beautiful boy’s face. Donghyuck enjoyed the attention, aware that the quiet boy had not looked away the entire time he had greeted his other friends. 

The next song started as Donghyuck swayed over to Mark, stopping inches before him to greet Renjun. “Hey, Injun-ah. Give me a kiss, will ya?”

Renjun quickly left the crime scene, putting as much distance between him and the touchy Donghyuck as possible. This appeared to have been apart of Donghyuck’s plan, as when he set his duffle bag beside Mark, he smirked.

His face was inches away from Mark’s dazed one when he whispered, “Like what you see, pretty boy?”

Mark swallowed, suddenly burning up again. He was so close to the sun, and it showed on his cheeks. He summoned the confidence he had had a few minutes before Donghyuck entered, allowing a smirk of his own to drift onto his lips. “Yeah. I do.”

Donghyuck’s teasing expression changed into something darker, alluring as his eyes travelled to Mark’s lips. This was when Mark realised they had eye witnesses that would notice if Haechan didn’t pull his face away soon. 

Donghyuck had been pretty keen on a grand reveal after Mark got his head out of the clouds, but it seemed that his focus was slipping, his lips inches from Marks and eyes like a solar eclipse.

Mark wasn’t gonna stop him, but he grasped enough self control to keep his hands from reaching up and pull Haechan into him the way he longed to, instead pressing them against the cool wooden floor. If he didn’t anchor himself soon, he was going to float up and join the sun, never returning to the ground.

“Haechan, you’re gonna miss your part!”

Jaemin’s voice rouses Donghyuck from his trance, but he doesn’t pull away quickly, his heated gaze still fixed on Mark. Mark can’t take his eyes away, his lips slightly parted in awe.

Donghyuck winked. “Keep watching, Markie.”

Mark wasn’t sure if he could stop.

The eighth had yet to end.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *insert Chan's awkward silence hEhE*


	10. Delve

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Donghyuck is incredibly distracting and the teacher still hasn't shown up.

As soon as Donghyuck joined his friends in the graceful choreography, Mark knew he was royally screwed.

Donghyuck held himself with brilliant confidence, every movement planned and composed. He had full control of his body, his steps matching his centre of gravity, allowing his balance to remain perfect. 

In Mark’s eyes, he was the most beautiful dancer he had ever seen.

The music picked up, causing the choreographer's speed to increase and the emotions in the dance to change. While they had been swaying gently to begin with, they were now twisting and spinning in sharp movements that Mark could barely keep up with.

The three dancers expressions were almost as fluid as their movements, each of their unique styles evident. Jaemin’s face held an expression of someone who knew they were getting their way; pride that became even more visible as he tilted his head back, causing his pink hair to move with it. Jeno had his jaw clenched and his brows pulled together, as though the subject he was dancing for had annoyed him in some way or form.

Donghyuck’s face was what scared Mark the most; his expression was almost as sensual, as hot, as it was a few moments ago. He had his eyes fixed on his reflection, a flirtatious smirk on his lips. Mark felt very warm.

Mark didn’t realise how much time had passed until the score came to an end and the dancers spun together in a final stance. Renjun began to clap slowly, startling Mark from his trance.

“Well done, children.”

Jeno adjusted his joggers to sit on his hips again, revealing a slip of stomach for a millisecond as he did so. “Why thank you, dearest.”

Renjun shook his head, smiling slightly. 

Donghyuck smirked at Mark’s expression, causing Mark to avert eye contact and scramble to his feet. 

He begged for confidence. “When will your teacher arrive?”

Jaemin was stretching again, arching his back like a cat. “She should be here in like, ten minutes? Jeno?”

Jeno tipped his head, before attempting to use his bandaged palms to tidy his messy silver hair. “Yeah, something like that,” he smiled at Mark, “I’m looking forward to seeing Mark Lee channel his inner superhero.”

Mark laughed lightly, unconsciously moving a hand to correct his own black hair. He shifted a little closer to the seating area on the far side of the room. “I wish. It would help me to have a brain like Tony Starks.”

Donghyuck leaned down to stretch out his calves. “You’re Tony Stark in my mind, Mark.”

Mark laughed again, sitting himself sideways on one of the plastic chairs. “Thanks, Haechan.”

Renjun tugged the grey hood of his hoodie over his dark hair before slouching on a chair next to Mark. Apparently the artist had already grown tired of waiting. At least, that was what Mark thought until Renjun winked, discreetly enough for only Mark to see.

Mark squinted, wondering whether or not he was imagining things, before the exchange was interrupted by two new dancers entering the study, bickering playfully.

The pair both had their hair dyed different shades of blonde, though the shorter one's was obviously a less recent change as you could see his natural dark hair colour growing through underneath.

He had a pout on his lips, but upon seeing Donghyuck, he grinned evilly.

He ran over to the golden boy, who was still stretching, and slung an arm around his neck to grab his attention.

"Haechan! Jisung thinks I lost the last bet. I won, right?"

'Jisung' had a very youthful appearance, the frown between his brows as he spoke barely causing any wrinkles. "But-"

The shorter one spun back to face Jisung, a blank expression on his face. The words were spoken monotonously, giving Mark the impression he had repeated them many times. "I won last time."

Haechan laughed, the sound still melodic to Mark's ears. "Yeah, Jisung, I think Chenle did."

Jisung gasped, betrayal clear on his face. Jaemin, who had perked up dramatically when the younger boys entered the room, stood from his stretching position on the floor and flung himself onto Jisung, pinching his cheeks.

"Ah, little Jisungie is so cuuute."

Jeno watched amusedly as Jisung fought his way out of Jaemin's loving arms, before making his way over to Mark and Renjun.

It didn't take much for Jeno to garner everyone's attention, the others respecting him enough to stop their various arguments as the silver haired boy cleared his throat.

“Jisung, Chenle? This is Mark. He’s majoring in Management and Finance, and when we say he’s good at what he does, he's really good.”

Mark offered a nod, greeting the pair in what he hoped was a relaxed manner.

Jisung dropped his pink bag to the floor, his expression becoming far more excited than it had been when Jaemin was showering him in affection. “Are you gonna get rid of Mr Gu for us?”

Mark didn’t know how to reply to that. He was going to  _ try _ , but he didn’t want to give the kid false hope. 

Luckily, Mark didn’t have to speak again, Donghyuck quick to save him with his sharp tongue. “We don’t know whether Mark’s plan will work or not yet, coconut head.”

Jisung pouted at the name, causing Jaemin to let lose another string of affectionate compliments. As chaos ensued, they began to realise that the unnamed teacher was going to be later than usual, meaning Renjun had to bid Mark good luck before leaving to help his art friend at the gallery being set up for an event later that week.

Jeno decided to channel the youngsters energy into another dance, at this point just becoming the teacher. The dance was more angry, but still had elements of grace. Mark definitely didn’t mind waiting.

When the song came to its conclusion, Haechan wiped his forehead with the back of his hand before swaying over to Mark, a smile painting his pink lips. He leaned down slowly to pick up his drink bottle, knowing full well that Mark was watching.

He smirked as he straightened back up, taking a swig before approaching,

“You okay, Markie?”

Mark couldn't help but smile at the nickname, subconsciously leaning towards Donghyuck as he took the seat in which Renjun had been seated. “Yeah, I’m fine. Not even nervous anymore.” 

Donghyuck licked his lips, removing the remnants of the cold water. "I'm glad. I don't like the thought of you being upset."

Mark forced his eyes off of the golden boy, studying the floor as a happy smile worked onto his face.

This could be his future.

Slowly but surely, Mark was finally uncovering his dream. The eighth ended when Haechan left the room to talk to a girl from the dance group in the next room over, but Mark had a feeling the ninth was fast approaching.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have written myself into a corner and am going to have to use a severe amount of creative licence to get myself out of it.


	11. Transact

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which the plan becomes a reality, and new cast members are revealed.

The ninth began when the long awaited arrival of the teacher became a reality. The man who walked into the room was younger than Mark expected, but was definitely a few years older than Mark. He greeted the dancers with a charming smile, and Mark understood why Jaemin and Jeno were upset about the workers being underpaid. He already liked this guy.

The teacher turned to Mark, almost surprised that his students even had friends they could invite to their practices. “Hello, who might you be?”

Mark slipped his hands out of the pockets of his white hoodie, which had the word  _ astronaut  _ printed in red text down the sleeves, and offered one for the teacher to shake. “Mark Lee. I’m here to talk about the job?”

The teacher’s eyes flicked up and down Mark’s frame quickly, more as though he was figuring out what the boy was capable of than judging him. His gaze found Mark’s face again and he smiled. “Ah, yes! I remember. Yukhei was going to schedule that for you this afternoon. Did he not text you?”

Mark didn’t recognise the name, so instead he straightened his frame, hoping he looked older than he felt. “No, I haven’t been in contact with him.”

Jeno, who had been slightly watching with the others up until this point, offered a solution. “Taeyong? If Mr Wong is free, I can take Mark up to the office.”

Taeyong smiled at Jeno. “That sounds good, actually. I’m late enough as it is.”

He then turned to Mark. “Good luck on the interview, Mark. We could do with reinforcements at the moment.”

Jeno lead Mark out of the room, into the dark corridors that somehow seemed smaller than they had when Mark was little. He eyed the paintings on the walls, recognising only a few of them from the time he spent here as a child. 

Jeno sighed. “I don’t think they’ll give you the job, Mark. It’s probably best just to get as much information as you can.”

Mark tilted his head to the side, confused as to what happened to Jeno’s confidence had gone. “Why?”

Jeno ran a hand through his hair as they passed two more dance classrooms before reaching the stairwell. “What Taeyong said reminded me that we the reason we are so  _ low  _ on instructors and managers in the first place is because we can’t afford to hire them.”

Mark understood, but he didn’t want to give up on the hope that maybe this would work out. Maybe he could be the hero.

As Jeno and Mark neared the second floor, Mark felt a warm hand on his wrist. He spun immediately, only to be pleasantly surprised by Haechan’s delicate face. 

“Are you going to Mr Wong’s office?”

Mark cast a glance at Jeno, who had reached the top of the stairs but had stopped to wait for Mark. Jeno nodded. 

Donghyuck grinned, stepping up next to Mark. “I’m coming too. Lucas is going to be surprised that such a pretty face is applying here, his reaction will be  _ priceless _ .”

As usual, Donghyuck’s enthusiasm was contagious, causing Jeno to smile down at the pair. “Alright then, hurry up.”

The hall leading to Lucas’s office made Mark blink. Nothing had changed.

But with Donghyuck’s hand still wrapped around his wrist, he couldn’t really focus on anything other than the fluttery sensation in his chest.

Donghyuck wasn’t walking so much as skipping beside Mark, making comments about Lucas’s infamous surprised expression that Mark didn’t bother to keep up with, deciding just to enjoy the sound of his happy voice.

Jeno opened the dark wooden door at the end of the hall after receiving a reply to his knock. Light spilled out from behind the door, the office having more windows than doors. 

Most of the sunrays that were bottled in the room fell onto the desk at the back, where a tall and very handsome man sat, a pen in one hand and a pair of rose gold glasses in the other. 

He tilted his head of exotic blue hair up from his work, turning to face the three boys who had entered the room, and then honing in on Mark.

Mark swallowed, pushing away the nerves that threatened to break his cool facade. He stepped forward, gently prying Donghyuck’s hand from his wrist. Donghyuck looked at his hand in surprise, as though he hadn’t even noticed he never let go.

“I’m Mark Lee. The… potential employee?”

Lucas’s eyes widened at the sight Mark. When he had received the letter from Jaemin of a college student wanting to apply as a financial manager at the failing studio, he certainly hadn’t pictured the business prodigy to look like a runaway model. 

Donghyuck snorted at the studio manager’s expression, muttering a few words under his breath just loud enough for Mark to hear. “Told you so.”

Lucas seemed to wake back up a couple seconds later, placing his pen back on the desk and sitting the glasses on his head as he stood. “Of course! Give me a moment, I’ll just get Hendery to grab the application files. Jeno, Haechan, can I help you?”

Jeno shook his head, smiling at the managers sudden formalities. Lucas wasn’t exactly uptight about rules usually. “No, sir. We’ll wait outside.”

After a few minutes, a young man in a dress shirt and a pair of black jeans entered the office, presumably the person Lucas had retrieve the files. He smiled at Mark, placed the sheets of paper on his bosses desk before heading back down stairs.

Lucas gestured to the seat on the other side of his desk. “Please, sit.”

Mark sat, his fingers fidgeting with the pull string of his hoodie but he knew his face was unreadable, showing no signs of how eager he was for this plan to work.

“So… do you have any qualifications in finance or management?”

Mark shook his head, already having expected this question. “No. I am majoring in them at the university downtown though. I also have this-”

Mark slipped a copy of his highschool grades and scholarships onto the manager’s desk, hoping it would be enough.

Lucas didn’t seem surprised as he leafed through the papers, the only indication of his emotion being the widening of his already wide smile. Mark couldn’t help but think that Lucas was also new to the business, considering how youthful he appeared. After rifling for a minute, Lucas places the files next to his laptop, before offering Mark the application files.

“If you fill these in, I’ll see what I can do. Be sure to ask if you have any questions.”

Mark took the papers with a smile. Step one was complete. Though he did have many questions, he would save them until he finished the papers.

Mark could see why they wanted to save this place. He hadn’t met a single person so far that was impolite in any form, the only greetings he received being welcoming smiles and offers of help. These people deserved to be rewarded for their hard work. Although they weren’t being paid for their efforts, they still smiled and turned up everyday, though they were late sometimes in Taeyong’s case.

Step Two would begin when he found out more about this finance manager who had brought the studio to its knees. According to all of his sources, this person only visited the studio once every few months, as he usually had a chilly reception. The reason he hadn’t been fired yet was still a mystery to Mark. He was one of the new owners of the company, but he shared ownership with two other people, who would surely care if their investment was driven into the ground. Right?

The solution Mark had worked out was as simple as it could be; get a job. Prove his worth. And then… contact his father.

It always seems to come back to him. 

No matter how hard Mark tried, there was no way he could save this place for his friends without his father’s help. He thought and thought, but it just wasn’t an option. He so wished it was possible for him to do it himself, but this kind of serious situation just wasn’t suited for a college student to solve.

If his father could tempt the other investors with his own businesses, Mark would have an opening. He just needed to ask for something from his father, which he hated doing. He hated being dependant, making himself look weak.

But he was going to get rid of the finance manager, one way or another. Even if it meant sacrificing his pride, that no longer seemed to matter when the sun was around. 

As Mark came to the end of the form, he paused, before signing his signature with the flick of his hand. He stood, walking over to Lucas and placing the files on the desk, his mouth set in a determined line. 

Lucas smiled. “Thank you, Mark. I hope to see you soon.”

Mark nodded before remembering his questions. “Wait, actually, before I go. Could I get the names of the owners? I’d like to know who I might be working for.”

Lucas looked puzzled for a few seconds, before his face split into a grin again. “Sure.”

Lucas penned three names onto Mark’s hand, ones that Mark could only hope to become familiar with. He hesitated before scribbling the last name, telling Mark that this was the person was the one he needed to get rid of.

Kim Doyoung. Jung Jaehyun. 

And finally, David Gu.

Mark ran a thumb over the final name, before casting a second glance at the other two, remembering his next question. “Uh, Mr Wong? Could I ask another question?”

The blue-haired man nodded immediately, tilting his chair back and setting the shiny glasses onto his nose. “Yes, of course.”

Mark made sure he didn’t fidget nervously. “Kim Doyong and Jung Jaehyun… how long has it been since they visited the company?”

Lucas had a gut feeling these weren’t normal questions, but after some thought, he didn’t feel that mentioning the studio owners’ absences would be harmful information to share. “Probably eleven months or so; they bought the company with Gu last year, so they haven’t really… been invested in their investment, you could say. They’re busy people.”

Mark had been suspecting something like that. It would explain why the other owners hadn’t done anything about the studio’s financial struggles. But this meant that it would be easier to take the studio off their hands.

Mark thanked Lucas one last time, before leaving the sunlit office with a feeling of confidence. He could do this.

The ninth came to an end with Mark meeting the pair who had waited in the corridor, who were suddenly both in awe of the boy. Haechan linked his arm through Mark’s as they made their way back to the dance room. Mark was over the moon.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the limited Markhyuck interactions in this chapter... I'm trying to rescue the plot and boy is it hard, my dudes. Next chapter will make the wait worthwhile, I promise (;  
Also, I didn't make the antagonist one of the NCT members; I feel like it isn't right to even imagine them treating people's careers as 'Mr Gu' has, and I would feel uncomfortable writing them that way.


	12. Collide III

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Mark procrastinates in the best way possible and Dongyuck wreaks havoc as Jaemin predicted.

The tenth began five days later on a warm Saturday evening, when Mark was told he had gotten the job. This meant it was time to call his father.

Mark sat in his dorm room, on his roommates bed so he was as far away from his phone as possible. He wasn’t dressed up, wearing a thin, peachy sweater and a pair of pale shorts, his gold framed glasses set on his nose as he stared at the phone on his pillow.

_ Come on, Mark. Just do it. _

But he couldn’t bring his legs to work. Mark sighed, tipping his head back and leaning against the wall, right next to Jungwoo’s Stray Kids posters. The sun had set only moments ago, but the sky hadn’t gotten past the twilight zone, meaning the grey themed dorm was lit with fading colour.

He had chosen this path, and now he was going to stick to it. He wanted to help, to be useful. To save his new friends. To save  _ Donghyuck _ .

Mark gazed out the window, watching quietly as day turned to night before his eyes. The soft white curtains of the room billowed slightly in the non-existent breeze, a gentle reminder that Mark should close the windows before the warmth of the evening drains from the room.

He sighed again, before stretching his tired limbs and closing the window, his body aching from the dance practice earlier that day. As it happens, Jaemin can be  _ very  _ persuasive when he wants to be.

Mark turned back to face the inevitable step in the plan, when there was a knock at his door, that was neither obnoxious nor quiet. A balanced, polite knock, that did not match its owner at all.

Mark unlocked the door, expecting to find his roommate had lost his key again, only to see the sun had not set. 

Donghyuck grinned at Mark who, from the moment he opened the white door, had not stopped staring in shock. “Can I come in?”

Mark stepped back hurriedly, still very much surprised that he was being paid a visit by Haechan himself. Mark had imagined it happening before, and now that the angel was standing in the middle of the room, soft moonlight on his face and threading through his ruffled, pale brown hair, Mark couldn’t decipher whether he was dreaming or not.

“What are you doing here?”

Haechan eyed the various posters on Jungwoo’s side of the room, before flicking his gaze back to Mark. “I was lonely and I wanted to see how you were doing.”

Mark blinked, before adjusting his glasses with his knuckles. “Oh, okay, I’m doing pretty good. Why were you lo-”

Mark faltered as Donghyuck admired him, eyes heavy on Mark’s frame. “Wow, you  _ are _ cute.”

Donghyuck swayed over to Mark, running a finger around the frame of Mark’s glasses, a soft smile on his face. Mark sucked in a breath as the golden boys feathery touch shifts down to his cheek, than across his jaw.

“I’m glad you’re doing well. If I find college alone exhausting, I can’t imagine how you’re feeling right now with college  _ and  _ saving our butts at the same time.”

Mark laughed lightly, a sound that he isn’t aware makes Donghyuck feel like he’s won the lottery. “Yeah, but I feel like it'll be worth it.”

Donghyuck looked as though he was holding back a breath, his eyes unable to pull away from the other boy. His lips parted slightly as he studied the way the emotions in Mark’s eyes flickered brightly, brighter than he could ever hope to appear.

They stood in silence for a moment, Donghyuck’s pale blue sweater paw resting on Mark’s face, and their gazes never shifting from the others eyes.

The first of the pair who dared to move was Mark, placing a hand on Donghyuck’s hip and shifting closer to the sun, his heart racing. “Is this okay?”

Donghyuck traced Mark’s cheekbone, his words coming out in a seductive purr. “Very okay, Markie.”

Their lips collided and Mark’s brain did override this time, the weight of his tasks to come forgotten as he moved his lips against the golden boys. Everything was fluid, the movement of Haechan’s hands through Mark’s hair, Mark’s hand against the small of the other boys back, their lips- 

_ Oh. _

Breathing had never seemed so unimportant. 

Mark pushed his body closer to Donghyuck, drawn in by the heat and warmth and all things beautiful and good that the boy radiated. Donghyuck willingly accepted the movement, threading his leg between Mark’s. 

The room was on fire, unable to contain the sun and its newfound counterpiece. Mark whimpered against Donghyuck’s lips and the kiss grew less innocent.

Donghyuck surged forward, knocking Mark onto the bed. As they fell, Donghyuck’s nose bumped Mark’s glasses, causing the golden frames to sit oddly on Mark’s face.

Donghyuck pulled back, mumbling apologies through breathy giggles. “Oh my god, I’m sorry. Aish-”

Mark allowed Haechan to remove the glasses from his face, taking these seconds to absorb how beautiful the boy was. He was beyond ethereal at this point, with his messy hair, oversized jumper and swollen lips.

Mark would happily stare at Donghyuck’s face forever.

Haechan decided that sitting on top of Mark probably wasn’t all too comfortable for the boy beneath him, so he rolled off of him, lying next to Mark on the bed and continuing to apologise. 

“Well, I certainly ruined the mood, didn’t I?”

Mark laughed, rolling onto his side so he could admire Donghyuck. “It’s okay. I like being like this too.”

Donghyuck smiled, and without looking at Mark’s face, played with a string that was coming loose in Mark’s sweater, his fingers almost as delicate as the thread itself.

Feeling a rush of confidence, Mark spoke again in a hushed tone, his voice lower than usual. “It means I can take all of you in. You’re so beautiful, Hyuck.”

Donghycuk’s attention was immediately all on Mark, his pretty brown eyes finding Mark’s face beside his in the darkening room. His reply was spoken quietly, in disbelief. “You really think so?”

“Of course.”

Haechan beamed, before staring back up at the roof of Mark’s small dorm room, his smile never fading. “Well. Jaemin was right when he said I would wreak havoc if I saw you in glasses.”

Mark laughed, resting on hand on his chest and placing the other next to Donghyuck’s on the soft duvet. “I’m not complaining.”

Donghyuck noticed Mark’s hand inching closer, and his eyes glowed in amusement, not making eye contact as he slipped his hand into Mark’s. It was endearing actions like these that caused Donghyuck to fall even further for the shy boy. Mark made him feel appreciated, made him want to be funny enough to earn the rare laughter that the boy was now known for.

With Haechan, Mark felt warm, safe. He wanted to feel like this forever.

It was quiet for a while but it was a comfortable silence, the pair contempt with just being in each others company. It was nice. 

It was really nice.

. . .

Donghyuck left Mark with a gentle kiss on the cheek, a wink and a shout of ‘bye Markie!’ before he reached the end of the hall.

Mark’s smile was beginning to hurt his cheeks, but he wasn’t bothered in the slightest, his thoughts composed entirely of the exchange that just occurred.

It wasn’t until he sat up to check the time on the alarm clock across the room that he realised he was going to have to wait until tomorrow to contact his father. But even his father wasn’t going to steal this magical evening’s mood away from him.

Jungwoo returned home from his late shift at 9:00pm, going to unlock the door before realising he had forgotten his keys in his locker  _ again. _ He winced, before knocking quietly, hoping not to have startled his roommate from his sleep.

Mark opened the door seconds after Jungwoo knocked, and Jungwoo was stunned by the appearance of his normally antisocial roommate. Mark looked dazed, but even more handsome than usual, his hair still ruffled where Donghyuck carded his hands through it, and his cheeks flushed despite the fact it had been almost an hour since his lover left.

Jungwoo grinned at Mark. “Looking good, Mark.”

Mark tried to contain his smile, reorganising his hair with his hand as he shifted out of the way so Jungwoo could lug in his bag. “Stop teasing.”

Jungwoo placed his things on the corner shelf of the room, not hesitating to unbutton the collar of his tight shirt. “No, really. It’s a good look for you. Who’s the lucky person?”

Mark shied away from Jungwoo’s sweet voice, allowing himself to fall back onto his bed that smelt vaguely of Haechan. He sounded out each syllable of the golden boy’s name carefully, and Jungwoo didn’t have to see the tender look on his face to know that Mark had well and truly fallen.

“Lee Donghyuck.”

The tenth came to an end when Mark fell asleep in his clothes, his mind distracted from his tasks to come by a beautiful face that belonged to the person Mark wanted to call his own. He knew that dreams are never set in stone, but he was pretty confident that the way Donghyuck made him feel wasn’t going to go away anytime soon.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this chapter was pretty cute to write hopefully y'all enjoyed reading it teehee  
don't worry, mark will make the call eventually


	13. Challenge

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Mark makes the call, talks to Jaemin and Jeno, finds he is not alone, and recieves a message.

The tenth began in the office down the hall from Lucas’s, when Mark, for the first time in his 20 years of living, was relieved that he had been raised in the business.

If not, he would have most likely wasted his time in the office getting to know how everything worked, instead of finishing off the schedules that had been assigned to him quickly enough that he had time to call his father before he headed back to the university for his Finance lecture with Jaemin and Jeno.

Mark sighed as he picked up his phone, scrolling to the very bottom of his chats to find his father’s name, one of the many plain contacts in his phone. The only few that were anything more than a name were the dancers, as they all put their own numbers in after Jaemin managed to steal his phone at the training earlier that week.

He hummed with discontent, eyes fixed on the  _ CALL _ button. In his moment of hesitation, Haechan’s face popped to the forefront of his mind, reminding how this one action could change the lives of many for the better.

Mark adjusted the cuff of his white dress shirt before pressing call. It was now or never.

_ Ring. _

_ Ring. _

_ Ring. _

_ Ri- _

_ “Mark.” _

“Hello, Father. How are you doing?”

“ _ The company’s doing well; the sales went up by over half a million just yesterday, and they are expected to increase over the next week by close to three million.” _

Mark wasn’t surprised that his father still hadn’t figured out the difference between himself and his multi-million dollar business.

_ “Now, can I ask the real reason you are calling?” _

Mark could practically see his father’s expectant, judgemental eyes from where he was sitting. “Yes. I need a favour.”

_ “Oh? Are you going to accept the bank account I set up for you?” _

“No. I need you to use that money to buy some shares in a dance studio downtown, and transfer them to my name. I’ve told you before I won’t accept that money for myself.”

His father’s emotionless laugh came through the phone, and Mark hated how condescending it sounded, and how childish it made him feel.  _ “Ah. Selfless as ever, child. When will you realise that the world will never be fair? You will need to give up eventually, Mark.” _

Mark grit his teeth, doing his best to remain calm and under control. “Can you do it?”

_ “Of course I can. Which studio was it?” _

“The one I used to dance in. XXXXX XXX.”

He could hear his father cover the mouthpiece as a nasally voice addressed him formally. A couple seconds of muffled discussion later, his father’s voice was finally being directed at Mark again.

_ “I thought we agreed not to focus on dance, Mark.” _

Mark squeezed his eyes shut. This is what he had expected. “I’m  _ not _ going back to dance. I want to own the studio. I believe it has great marketing potential, and I could definitely manage it if you were to give me the opportunity.”

That was a lie. Mark didn’t aspire to be a cold-hearted CEO like his father, but if this was what it took to get rid of the owners and the terrible manager, then he would lie a thousand times over.

“ _ Ah, now this is getting somewhere. I will arrange a conversation with the current owners for some time this week, and when I land the deal, it will be placed under your name. It will be your responsibility, child. It is good to see you’re finally growing up, Mark.” _

Mark wanted to throw his phone at a wall. Instead, he forced out a laugh. “Thank you, Father. I hope the next time we talk will be after my first success.”

And then he hung up.

**. . .**

Mark seemed less than perky during Finance, and it only took Jeno a few seconds to notice, but about ten minutes to approach him about it. He had to be careful with his questions, as if Mark was anything like Haechan, he didn’t like his bad mood being highlighted.

Jeno wasn’t exactly perfect with subtlety, but he could try. “Mark? Are you okay?”

Mark glanced up from the papers he had been glaring at for the last five minutes or so, his frown disappearing as he met Jeno’s gaze. “Uh, yeah. I’m fine. I’m just kinda... I had to talk to my father.”

Jeno gave Mark a comforting smile, clearly knowing the feeling. “Not the best family relationship?”

Mark shook his head. “That’s for sure.”

Jeno reached out and rubbed Mark’s shoulder, the class they had paid for being forgotten in the midst of resurfacing problems. “I understand.”

Mark could tell from the weariness in Jeno’s tone alone that he really meant it. He placed his hand on top of the supportive hand on his shoulder, offering his own sort of consolation.

No more words were spoken until Jaemin woke up, pulling back of the desk in a start and ripping the airpods from his ears. He looked to Jeno and Mark and the panic in his eyes dimmed. 

He released a dramatic sigh of relief, collapsing back onto the desk. Jeno didn’t need to prompt him, knowing that Jaemin would explain himself in a matter of seconds.

“Wow, I really thought you were dead, Jeno. Didn’t I tell you aliens don’t appreciate abs?”

Mark snorted at Jaemin’s statement and Jeno’s face contorted into a look of pure confusion, his mouth falling open. “I’m- you- what?”

Jaemin raised his head again, now appearing confused himself. “Wait, what did I say?”

Mark allowed himself to laugh, and he realised then that he was feeling much better. As Jeno and Jaemin joined him in his amusement, and they were halfheartedly shushed by their Finance teacher, Mark knew that these people were going to be very important to him for a long time. 

It had been a while since he had felt comfortable with being himself around other people, but when he was himself around these boys, he not only was comfortable, but he felt  _ proud _ . 

And they never ceased to surprise him, that’s for sure.

Jeno wiped a fake tear from his eye, his other hand resting on his stomach. “If I keep laughing like this, I might actually have abs to scare these aliens with.”

Jaemin tried to tidy his ruffled peachy hair, still laughing. “Yeah, right.”

Mark rolled his eyes. “I’m nearly 90% sure that both of you have abs already, considering how hard core your dances are.”

Jeno pokes a thumb in Jaemin’s direction. “He definitely does.”

“So does Jeno, actually. What about you, Mark?”

Mark smirked. “Let’s just say business isn’t the only area I excel in.”

This led to Jaemin’s eyes widening comically and the three of them falling back into hysterics, only to be reprimanded by their teacher for real. Mark didn’t stop smiling till long after the lesson ended, when his smile went from a sign of entertainment to pure shock.

** . . .**

Mark wandered down the paved pathway to the glossy grey building that housed the university’s borders, too absorbed in the game he was playing to marvel at the beauty of the pink cherry blossom trees lining the walkway. 

There wasn’t an abundance of birds in the city, so the few that made their homes in the trees were a rare sight. Mark finally lifted his eyes from his phone, but much to the birds disappointment, it wasn’t to watch them.

“Haechan-ah, if you don’t get off me, I swear I will spill this paint all over you.”

Donghyuck was leaned over Renjun’s shoulder, watching excitedly as his friend signed the base of the mural outside the dorms. Renjun shrugged the boy off his shoulder, smiling slightly, happy to see his threat worked. 

Mark approached the pair, his eyes flickering up to the detailed mural as he greeted Renjun. “Hey Renjun. It looks fantastic.”

Renjun grinned at him, then up at his work, proud of the time he spent here. “Thanks, dude.”

Haechan pouted at Mark, all of a sudden disinterested in the painting on the wall. “Where’s my hello, huh? What am I, a street lamp?”

Mark laughed, pleasantly surprised by the younger boys adorable demand for attention. “Hey, Duckie.”

Donghyuck’s eyes lit up at the nickname, his sunny smile appearing on his face. “Duckie? That’s so cute, Markie~”

Mark sucked in a breath as the sun danced closer, suddenly less confident as Donghyuck wrapped an arm around his shoulders. Renjun rolled his eyes as he rinsed his brush, though a smile still painted his lips. “You’re so  _ annoying,  _ Haechan.”

Donghyuck stuck his tongue out at the artist, resting his weight on Mark now that he had a hold of him. Renjun quickly returned it.

Mark took this opportunity to distract himself from the warmth of Donghyuck’s body, looking up at the mural. At first glance, it was a simple painting; a person standing between two cherry tree lined roads not unlike the one Mark was standing on currently.

But upon closer inspection, there were hundreds of details that Mark could have never created himself. Faint footprints of someone else who had take the path before him, the broken branches and the lopsided paving that break the initial illusion of two perfect choices. The dark skies on the horizon and the weariness in the person's frame. 

The grey clouds were voluminous and textured with words of doubt, adding to the emotion that the picture already portrayed. Mark studied them closely, before he was snapped back to the present by Haechan’s honey sweet voice in his ear. 

“So pretty, right Mark?”

Mark felt the blood rising to his cheeks, but tried to play it off by turning to Renjun, Donghyuck still clinging to his side. “Were you given this task by the board?”

Renjun nodded, his eyes falling away from Mark’s face to stare proudly at his work. “Yeah. They wanted a theme that… well, encaptured a difficulty teens face as they enter adulthood. I chose the fear of life changing choices because it’s so… so hard.”

Mark felt his heart swell. He knew  _ exactly _ what he meant. But he was getting there, and now he was aware that he wasn’t the only one feeling this way, he could help. “I get it. I like it a lot, Renjun.”

Renjun tucked a strand of his hair behind his ear, casting his eyes downward but speaking with full confidence. “Thank you.”

Mark could tell Donghyuck was smiling at his friend without needing to see him. “I like it too, Injun-ah. Haechannie is so proud

of you~”

Donghyuck unlatched himself from Mark and swooped Renjun’s small frame into a bone-crushing hug. For once, the sarcastic artist didn’t complain, simply laughing breathily until Donghyuck released him.

Renjun took a few breaths to regain his composure. “Well, I need to pack up first, but do you two want to go get dinner with me?”

Mark beamed. “Absolutely. We can help you pack up, right Du-”

That was when his phone buzzed four times in his pocket, drawing his attention immediately. It was only Thursday, surely it wasn’t what he thought it was.

Donghyuck’s soft noise of confusion faded into the background as Mark studied the messages on his phone in shock.  _ No way. _

**Bank of XXXX XXX**

_ Hi Mark! You have recently made a purchase worth 1.7 million dollars from a locked bank account. Was this… _

**Share Grab XXXX**

_ Hi there, Mark. You are the new owner of XXXXXX XXXX. We hope to see you soon to collect your registration… _

**Kim Doyoung**

_ Hello, Mark. My name is Kim Doyoung, and I was the former owner of the studio you now own. I am sure you will do well with the process, but if you have any queries… _

**Father**

_ The job is done. Don’t call today, I’m busy.  _

Mark felt dizzy. He had done it. They had done it.

And the tenth drew to a close, although the eleventh was not far away.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> we are very close to the end but i suck at conclusions so prepare yourselves ;)
> 
> also, i am very sorry that this turned out to be less focused on the rOmAnCe and more on the storyline this always happens like sofsjefejwidsfweijsd   
this fic was meant to be 3000 WORDS LONG WHAT AM I DOING


	14. The Eleventh

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which our story reaches its open-ended conclusion.

The eleventh did not have a stand out starting point, nor did it end. But if Mark had to choose a notable moment, he would say it began when Donghyuck’s gorgeous face twisted into his beautiful sunny smile and his eyes widened in disbelief.

The sun gasped. “No way. ”

Renjun dropped his paint brush to the ground, gaping in shock. 

Mark swallowed. “I’m serious.”

Donghyuck snapped back to attention, embracing Mark slightly more gently than he had done to Renjun moments before. He giggled as he pressed his body against Mark’s, raising one of his arms so he can pull Mark’s head against his sweater cushioned shoulder.

“How are you so fricking amazing, Mark?”

Mark hugged Donghyuck back, overwhelmed by the happiness that was spilling over in the chest. “I genuinely have no idea.”

Renjun had yet to move. “Y-you. You what?”

Donghyuck released Mark, though left his hand on Mark’s face. “Mark, we have to tell the others. Wow, you’re so perfect.”

Mark assumed it was just the adrenaline in Haechan’s body causing him to say things like this, but that didn’t stop the dusting of pink on his cheeks as the praises met his ears. He met Donghyuck’s eyes to find they mirrored the emotion in his own.

“Guys, we have to tell Jaemin and Jeno! And Jisung, Chenle, oh and Taeyong too! What about…”

Renjun blinked at Donghyuck once, still not moving from where he had dropped his pink covered paint brush. The he blinked at Mark. “You did it?”

Mark laughed, running a hand through his black hair. “Yeah?”

Renjun’s normally stoic face splits into a wide grin, the realisation finally setting in. “No way. How?!”

Mark shrugged. “I’m not exactly sure, but I don’t think management’s gonna change for a while.”

Donghyuck had his phone out by this point, dialling in Jaemin’s number at lightspeed. Jaemin’s half awake voice spilled out of the phone’s speaker.

“Donghyuck, what are you doing awake at this hour?”

Haechan rolled his eyes. “Jaeminnie, it is four o’clock in the evening.”

“It is?? Ah I-”

There was the sound of something falling and a thump as it hit the ground. It wasn’t hard to assume that Jaemin had fallen from the comfort of his bed.

Ignoring Jaemin’s recent change of environment, Donghyuck surged on. “Guess what! Markie got the studio! He got the studio , Jaemin.”

A surprised noise found its way to Mark’s ears. “He WHAT?!”

And Donghyuck’s grand retelling began.

**. . . **

Things went back to normal pretty quickly. After a meeting with Kim Doyoung, who as it turns out, was close to Donghyuck at the other ‘Dream’ Team dancers before he moved overseas, he passed the main management position to Lucas. The company would transfer to his management once he got his degrees, but for now, he was confident Lucas would do a good job.

Mark spent a lot of time at the studio with his friends, and met a massive variety of old friends he hadn’t seen in years, plus many new faces. He even spoke to the ever elusive Taeil, and found out that he really was just as harmless as Haechan had stated, only appearing cold on the outside, but becoming very sweet when you had a real conversation with him.

Ten, the one who hosted the party four weeks before Mark became a proud owner of the studio, was in the same advanced program as his old friend, Winwin. This meant Mark often saw Ten and found out that he got no less touchy after you knew him well. But Mark didn’t mind that much.

Jaemin, Jeno and Renjun held a small party for Mark, surprising him when he headed back to the dorms after a late lecture class. He then got to know Jisung and Chenle properly and found out the younger two were nearly as bad as their older friends. 

It was complete chaos, but Mark couldn’t have been more satisfied.

“I’m surprised you all even fit into this dorm room.”

Jungwoo had returned home from work early to find 7 boys in his dorm room and although he was tired, he was happy that Mark was finally taking a break. The boy really worried him sometimes.

Mark apologised. “I’m so sorry, I didn’t realise you were staying here tonight.”

Jungwoo laughed, before placing down his bag and taking a seat next to Jaemin on his bed. “It’s okay, these guys seem cool. It's good to see you haven't lost the ability to interact with other humans, Mark."

This earned him a pillow to the face.

Donghyuck was late to the party, and although Mark loved spending time with the Dream team, he didn’t feel compete until Haechan waltzed in with a cake that was no bigger than his face. 

“Miss me, Dreamies?”

Renjun groaned, but not shifting from where he was draped across Chenle on the floor. “Definitely not, Donghyuck.”

Jungwoo’s eyes lit up at the mention of the name Mark had shared with him a week beforehand. His eyes found the dazy smile on Mark’s face and now he knew for certain that Donghyuck was the boy.

Donghyuck sat himself down on the bed next to Mark, placing a quick kiss on his cheek as he transferred the cake into his hands. “Thank you, Markie~”

Mark flushed, the smile on his face never fading as scanned the faces scattered throughout room. “No, thank you guys. I’m so glad I met you all. You’ve taught me so much.”

Jaemin snorted, hanging himself across an unsuspecting Jungwoo’s shoulder. “How did we manage that? We’re literally the reason you get nothing done in class.”

Mark rolled his eyes. “That is not what I meant.”

After a few hundred more soppy thank you’s were exchanged, the room fell into light chatter, Jaemin recounting his day to the boys on the floor, and Mark introducing everyone to Jungwoo. 

Once everyone was laughing at Jaemin, Donghyuck slung his arm around Mark’s shoulder, and rested his head in the crook of his neck. 

Mark shivered a little as Haechan spoke against his shoulder. “I always knew you were something special, Markie.”

Mark blinked, raising a hand to Donghyuck’s soft, pale brown hair. “T-thank you.”

Donghyuck laughed lightly, before pulling Mark back onto the bed with him so they could both stare at the ceiling the way they had when Haechan was last in the dorm room. A smile was drawn to Mark’s lips just thinking of it.

“So, Mark Lee. I’m sure you know by now that I really, really like you.”

Donghyuck’s eyes glittered as he whispered, and Mark knew that the boy was telling the truth. He was fully aware that he must look equally as lovestruck as he whispered back.

“I really like you too, Haechan. Do you want to… be my-”

Haechan beamed, rolling over so that his nose was inches away from Mark’s. “ Yes. ”

It was Jisung who zoned in on the conversation first, drawing his attention away from the cake he had slipped off of Mark's lap. The youngest placed the cake on top of Renjun's stomach before lifting his upper lip in distaste. “Get a room, losers.”

Both Mark and Haechan burst into giggles, but Jeno shot him a look. “Respect your elders, maknae.”

Jisung stuck his tongue out and they were both quick to their feet, Jisung out of the door before Chenle began enthusiastically chanting ‘fight’.

Renjun raised an eyebrow at the pair on the bed. “He’s not wrong about getting a room.”

Jungwoo smiled sweetly at Mark. “I will not hesitate to kick you out if you decide to get R-rated, Mark.”

Mark pulled an uncharacteristically childish face before sitting up and threading his fingers between Haechan’s, their hands fitting together well. He felt like he was flying as he dragged his boyfriend from the room, knowing fully well that Donghyuck was wiggling his eyebrows at the others while being pulled away.

Jeno passed them as he brought Jisung back to the dorm in a playful headlock, and upon seeing the pair, a knowing smile lit up his face. Mark returned it.

The rest of the evening was spent in the abandoned hallways of the dorm room, and although Donghyuck led Mark through familiar hallways, any time spent with Donghyuck felt fresh, new and exciting.

This was good. This feeling, these people, the knowledge that he wasn’t alone in his journey and struggles. 

Mark didn’t think he could ever be more grateful, more happy than he did in that moment.

The eleventh never ended.

☆♦️♢★⭒⭑☆♦️♢★⭒⭑☆♦️♢★⭒⭑☆♦️♢★⭒⭑☆♦️♢★⭒⭑☆♦️♢★⭒⭑☆♦️♢★⭒⭑☆♦️♢★⭒⭑☆♦️♢★⭒⭑☆♦️♢★⭒⭑☆♦️♢★⭒⭑☆♦️♢★⭒⭑☆♦️♢★⭒⭑☆♦️♢★⭒⭑☆♦️♢★⭒⭑☆♦️♢★⭒⭑☆♦️♢★⭒⭑☆♦️♢★⭒⭑☆♦️♢★⭒⭑☆

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> holy shit its over
> 
> this was a journey to write, and i really hope you guys enjoyed the story and its many messages. it made me really happy to recieve so much love for something that i loved doing and i hope all of you will be here when i move onto my next project - one that's first chapter is currently in the works.
> 
> i hope you guys know that just like mark, you aren't alone. even when everything is spiralling into chaos, there will always be someone who listens, willingly or otherwise.
> 
> anyways, love y'all. see you soon~
> 
> (this conclusion had quite a few grammatical errors the first time it was posted, i hope this reads better keke)


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